"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of Netflix and off various columns highlighting new movies as well.

Kate is, what her husband considers, a “Shark Whisperer.” While
making a documentary involving swimming with sharks outside of a cage, there is
a shark attack and Kate can’t bring herself to go back into the water. When an
opportunity arises to make enough money to save her business, she’s faced with
the decision of whether or not to interact with sharks again.

When I first saw this and added it to my list, I was
convinced it would be either jaws-like or another creature feature about angry
sharks. It turned out to be closer to reality. “Dark Tide” didn’t portray sharks
as hungry, violent, monsters. In fact, the movie showed that sharks are just
like any other wild life and that, if you’re careful, you shouldn’t have too
much of a problem with them. It was refreshing to see that kind of take on the
predators from a Hollywood stance. Unfortunately, that was the only good thing
about the film.

I wasn’t fond of the actors, or the script, or anything,
really. I mean, I have to respect the writers for trying to take a sports movie
“you can do it” recipe and attaching it to another genre, but it was a big risk
that didn’t pay off at all. “Dark Tide” wound up feeling tired and incredibly
boring.

Four friends decide to head home from a camping trip a
little later than expected. They think nothing of stopping at a little run down
gas station, but maybe they should have. Like in every movie of this kind, that
hick-run gas station is their first step on a road that lands them in a room
with strangers who want to hurt them.

From the very first credits to the ending, “Vile” is nothing
but complete torture porn. I will admit that I enjoy some good bloody horror
movies after a bad day. They take the edge off how angry or upset the rest of
the world got me. However, I don’t think that it should be all about the
torture with very little story to back it up. A good movie is made by the
story. Bad effects, acting, and even a mediocre script can be forgiven if the
plot completely absorbs the audience. “Vile” was as messed up as “Saw” where
gore was concerned, but there was difference in that it was almost completely
pointless.

There were parts of the script that were amusing. Every once
in a while the film got a chuckle or a cringe out of me and I didn’t absolutely
hate the actors (or the ending). However, when it was all over, it left me
feeling like I had wasted my time.

In the future, if I ever have the desire to watch “Vile,” I’ll
just watch one of the “Saw” series instead.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3.2/5

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 36%

Trust-the-Dice Score – 2/5

P.S. For the director and both writers, this was their first
full length film.

Tom is a scientist working on something big. That thing he
is working on is a machine that allows someone to take a trip into another
person’s memories. After he’s strong-armed to use the machine, before it’s
ready, for something it’s not meant for, he winds up stuck in the mind of a
killer.

This is the most confusing review I’ve had to write so far.
Netflix believed I would absolutely love this movie, and it was right. The
longer I contemplate exactly what I just saw, the more I get out of it and the
more I enjoy it. I’m certain it would get even better upon a second viewing.
However, for my overall score, I find it hard to ignore that I was really bored
throughout the first 75% of this movie. To put it short, this was the most
amazing boring thriller I’ve ever seen.

I’ll tell you a secret. I have trouble with beginnings. I
write dark fantasy and the problem I always find with writing is the first
chapter. I look at a blank page and I know that if I don’t make those first few
lines as interesting as possible, people aren’t going to read more than that. There’s
a reason the abbreviation “TL:DR” is a thing. I look at a blank page and I get
intimidated. It’s for that reason that I tend to over-think the start of a book
and wind up having to rewrite it twenty times before it makes any kind of sense
while remaining interesting. My theory is that the writers of this movie had
the same issue. The beginning feels forced and it’s very difficult to make the
rest flow correctly when that’s the case.

With that in mind, the ending of this movie was insane. In
fact, it’s the ending that makes me remember the movie fondly. Not because of
twists or anything like that, simply because everything finally fell into
place. The writing caught up with itself and the direction took a believable
turn.

When it comes right down to it, this was Nir Paniry’s first
full length film and I think he made less mistakes than some of the big names
out there did their first time. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does
next.